Apologize
by theperksofbeinganauthor
Summary: Leaf and Gary have been fighting and after a phone call with Ash, Leaf decides it is time to apologize to Gary. Going to Prof. Oak's lab, she's only expecting forgiveness from Gary; she also receives totally uncalled for. Oldrivalshipping. Edit - 4/6/12


_I'm back! Anybody miss me? Hahaha, kidding kidding. I don't think I'm missed by many. Anyways, this is a one-shot I came up with while planning ideas for my longer story. This was originally the beginning for Help Wanted (which is a fic I don't think is ever going to be coming out... due to laziness and other ideas), but my ideas and mind changed completely and I decided... WA LA! Why not create a one-shot with this since it's really not needed in my other stories?_

_I was supposed to post this last week, but guess what? I enjoyed writing the beginning that I dreaded the end. So last week, I could've finished it, but I kept putting it off._

_Anyways, I just reread this story for the first time in ages, so I ran through the whole thing and edited all my mistake. I didn't realize how many mistakes I made during this whole thing... Oh and I changed a couple of things around, fixed some sentences, and added a couple of things... so yeah._

_Edit - April 5, 2012_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, sadly, or that quote._

* * *

**~ Apologize ~**

**"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can go back and start a new ending." - Maria Robinson**

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_"LEAF!" _someone yelled out, breaking the peace and tranquility throughout the tiny house.

Leaf rushed down the stairs to see what it is that her mom wanted this time. "Yes Mom?"

"You have a phone call from one of your friends," she simply said before setting down the phone on the counter carelessly and made her way out of the kitchen.

_'I wonder who it may be...' _Leaf wondered to herself excitedly. Lately, she hasn't had much contact with any of her friends. Everything wasn't really going her way in life and she was busy beyond belief. She never had a chance to call any of her friends and catch up.

She picked up the phone and answered, "Hello?"

"Hey Leaf," boomed the voice of none other than her childhood friend, Ash Ketchum. She missed him more than she thought was possible. He was her first friend and she has known him her entire life... or so it seems like. She probably knew him better than she knew himself, which was something Ash did not appreciate. "How are you?"

Leaf laughed to herself. "I'm fine... thanks for asking. You?"

"I'm alright. Hey Leaf, you know, ever since we parted to start our journeys, we haven't had much time with each other like we used to..." Ash's voice trailed off.

She raised an eyebrow, even if Ash could not see it. Her tone began to sound a bit wistful and sorrow. "And who do you mean by 'we'?"

Ash replied immediately, with signs of hesitation in his voice, "Oh, you know who I mean... you, me, and Gary."

Flinching a bit, Leaf inhaled sharply because of the mention of _his _name. She tightened her grip on the phone a bit. "W-What are you talking about?" she exclaimed loudly.

"Leaf, you can't avoid him for the rest of your life," Ash pointed out, fully aware of the predicament Leaf was in. His statement affected her more than it should have and it felt like she got punched in the gut. Leave it to Ash to be inconsiderate of other people's feelings. He held the phone away from his ear in case of another outburst.

Leaf snapped, "I can try! I'm not ready to see him again..." By the end of the sentence, her words faded away softly; she wasn't sure if Ash heard her or not. She felt her sweaty hands grow shakily while clasping onto the phone nervously.

"Aw, come on Leaf!" He nervously held the phone closer to his ear, wondering if Leaf was going to scream again; he did not want another case of hearing issues for the next week.

She sighed briefly before answering, "You know as well as I do that we obviously have... uh... how should I put it... issues." Despite the event happening five years ago, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable every time she talked about the event or Gary. Just the name brought shivers to her spine and blood rushing throughout her veins. She didn't know why he had such an effect on her, and just thinking about that made her even more mad at Gary.

"I know... I know..."

"You're not trying to fix this are you?" she hesitantly asked him; her voice was mixed with dread and anxiousness. She certainly did not want him to do anything about. She was definitely not ready to face him and apologize for such a mishap. The thought worried her insanely, but she couldn't let Ash know this; he would tell Gary, and it would bring humiliation into her life because Gary wouldn't let it go. She would _never _allow him to know how much their situation affected her.

Leaf heard a pause from Ash. Silence overfilled the conversation. Ash finally said, "W-What? Me? Try to fix this? No!"

"You're a horrible liar," Leaf commented absentmindedly, twirling the phone line with her other hand.

She could hear a loud thump on the other side. _'I think he just smacked his head onto the counter near him,' _she guessed. She was most likely correct for she heard him exclaim something out loud.

He returned to his conversation with Leaf and laughed nervously. "Ehehe... Gary told me the same thing... it was worth trying though."

"Ash, if you're going to lie, do it properly. I cannot stand horrible liars," Leaf joked. "Furthermore, since when did you care about him? You guys don't even get along."

"I know that. Nevertheless, you guys are still my friends, and I need to help you guys when you have problems that needed to be solved perhaps."

Leaf smiled. "So what were you planning to do to get us to become friends again anyways?"

"Why would you want to know?"

"Curiosity," Leaf said simply.

Silence overwhelmed the other side of the phone. Leaf silenced too, waiting for Ash for answer her question. She could hear his continuous breathing speed up a bit. Waiting for a response patiently, she sat herself on a stool near the kitchen counter, where the phone lay, and situated herself on the seat. She set her elbow on the counter and held the phone up to her ear with a shoulder. Her hand was starting to get tired from holding the phone; she set her arm along the edge of the counter. Taping her fingers on the counter quietly, she heard a bunch of papers rustling on the phone line. "Ash? Are you still there?" She tilted her head a bit, adjusting her ear closer to the phone again.

"Yeah." The answer was immediate.

"What are you doing exactly?"

"I'm trying to find my plans..."

"You don't have a plan do you?"

Ash let out an anxious crackle of laughter again before saying, "Nope..."

Leaf sighed. There was really no hope for that guy. "Ash, thanks for trying, but I think Gary and I can sort this out ourselves." That was the first time she said his name in five years, and it felt like a relief just to hear herself say his name again. It made him seem more realistic since his existence was only in her head before this-although it was blinded by hatred and frustration. She liked saying his name because it would remind her of the wonderful times they spent as a little kid, yelling at each other and messing around as if there wasn't a care left in the world. She dug her hands onto the counter top, forcing herself to stop thinking about it. It was annoying beyond relief-the affect he had on her. For years now, she tried to deny it, but she knew that it wasn't working; it was bound to come back to her later, despite the years that have passed.

"THIS IS EXACTLY THE PROBLEM." She had to admit-it was pretty shocking to hear Ash yelling at her. Ash-the sweetest boy she knew-was yelling at her. He _never _lost his temper with her. Now that he did, she knew that the situation was bothering him much more than he let on. "You guys both say you're going to sort it out, but you never do. You try to avoid each other as much as possible, never thinking about how others around you feel to see two best friends ignoring each other for something so little. Whenever I talk to one of you, and bring the other one up, you guys act as if you barely know each other. Are all those times in the past spent together just spent wasted all because of a little fight? Is that what you want?" Ash retorted angrily. "Do you want all your years of friendship going down the drain? Because it's happening Leaf. And I would think that you would be the last person on Earth to ever let that happen." He paused for a while and took a deep breath, probably tired from his outburst.

"You're not that kind of person," he said in a softer tone.

_'Ash has really grown up... he really understands this situation better than I ever could... and I think even better than... him. And I hate to admit, he is right...' _Leaf snapped out of her thoughts with a shake of her head. "Of course not, Ash. I-"

"WELL DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT... I'M _TIRED_ OF SEEING YOU GUYS FIGHT FOR THESE PAST FIVE YEARS! YOU GUYS MOSTLY IGNORE EACH OTHER AND PRETENDED THAT ALL YOUR YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP JUST WASHED DOWN THE DRAIN LIKE THAT. And Leaf, I remember you coming up to me, asking about how to get closer to him. Remember that? And how hard you tried to build that friendship. Are you going to put that all to waste?" And with that, Ash hung up-slamming the phone down-not allowing Leaf to say another word. She heard the slam and a follow of beeps on the other end of the phone. She exhaled loudly and removed the phone from her ear.

Leaf breathed out heavily to herself before putting the phone back on the receiver carefully. Her hand lingered there for a while before she finally let it go. Leaf spun on her stool a bit and set her head onto the wall behind her, recalling her recent conversation with Ash. _'It's been five years already? I barely noticed. These five years have been quite dull for me; they came and went. Ever since we started arguing, our friendship has never been the same. Without Ash and Gary, and I've gotten neither to talk to for a while, I have no other friends. Ash is right... I have to do something about this before it gets completely out of control. And of course, I would not want all these years of well built friendship wash away with the tide. After all, this is all my fault.'_

Deciding the best thing to do was to act now (since she did not want to get onto Ash's bad side), she slid off her stool and her feet stood firmly on the ground beneath her. Her legs suddenly felt numb and stiff because of sitting for too long. She stretched and let out a groan that was loud enough to be heard by all the residences in Kanto.

She decided that staying strong is the best thing to do, but it would be best if she planned it out a bit and think things through before going to apologize. She might make a mistake and make things more miserable for the both of them. Leaf shivered at that thought – she couldn't stand to do anything that'll make things worst for them. She took one step forward and walked herself to her room slowly, trying to plan out the whole conversation between Gary. It was virtually impossible. Regardless of how long Leaf has known Gary, Leaf could not predict what Gary might say in _any_ situation. Predicting him was like predicting the weather with no technological instruments. He was a flawless liar and says things depending on how he is currently feeling. He's also very manipulative to the point where anything he says would seem real-even if he says the clouds will turn purple and the sky will turn green within the next few days. She couldn't even predict how Gary would react or do anything even if her life depended on it. She needed another plan.

Leaf finally arrived at her room. Covered in green wallpaper, and white and green furniture, she scanned her room the moment she stepped in. She located her bed in an instant and collapsed on her bed slowly, rolling onto her side, and faced the wall.

Under normal circumstances, stepping within five inches of her room would make her feel happier despite her current mood. However, today, no matter how much she wanted to look happy, her phone call with Ash troubled her. She tried to think of other happy things like rainbows and flying fruits, but all of her fantasies turned into different scenarios involving her apology to Gary.

She let out a shaky, frustrated breath, rummaging through her mind, trying to think of something to say or do. She was quite tempted to just kick down his door and come up with something on the spot, but Gary always made her breathless just by staring into her eyes. Therefore, she did not stick with that idea for she didn't want to make a fool out of herself. That wouldn't be good; Gary wouldn't let it go... angry with her _or _not. _'Mmmm… maybe if I think back to the start of the argument, I would be able to figure out how to solve this…' _Leaf considered proudly. Closing her eyes, she clearly remembered what had started this stupid argument in the first place. Leaf went through her memories, gradually recalling all the little events that caused this fight to sprout in the first place.

_|| Flashback ||_

_Leaf walked down one of the hallways in Professor Oak's lab, looking for Gary. Immediately, she spotted Gary, who was frowning at the sight of her. "Why didn't you come to my birthday party yesterday?" she asked, regretting that those words ever left her mouth after looking at Gary's expression._

_"That is hardly any of your business – I can choose to come to come or not. Besides, my world doesn't revolve around you, Leaf," Gary said coldly._

_Leaf let out a little cry of terror because of the tone Gary used. Gary usually doesn't act this way; he doesn't talk to her like that either. Never, not even when he's mad. Something must really be upsetting him. "You know," she began, trying to keep temper, "you really didn't have to tell me all that. You could've just said something about being busy and can't make it."_

_Gary glared at her for practically no reason at all. If there was, then it certainly was a reason Leaf knew about. "If I just told you that, you would just keep bothering me and asking me why. See, now if you don't mind, leave me alone." Without another word, he walked away, leaving Leaf staring at his retreating figure, speechless and dumbfounded._

_One week later…_

_Leaf angrily marched into Professor Oak's lab once again. Without even waiting for anyone to open the door, she had thrust the doors open using her own methods and experience in picking locks. She used a bobby pin that was lying on the floor somewhere near the door. Afterward, Leaf maneuvered through the lab rapidly and made her way to Gary's room. She arrived at Gary's room soon afterwards; she peeked inside anxiously, finding Gary's room to be completely vacant. She irritably hissed at her luck. Deciding that since Gary was not there, it would be best if she left unspotted, and she made up her mind to return another time and settle this matter later. She turned around quickly to exit the lab. As she turned around, she felt herself facing the person she was coming to see in the first place – Gary. She gasped softly and smiled sheepishly as she met his cold defiant stare._

_"What exactly were you doing, snooping around in my room?" Gary inquired with his eyebrows raised._

_Leaf stood there stupidly, looking up at Gary. Her mind racked for an excuse. Sure she was there for a reason but when her eyes met Gary, her mind completely blacked out. "I-I-I… w-was…err," Leaf stammered._

_Gary hastily frowned and shoved her aside from the doorway and walked into his room. She turned around and blankly looked at him as he did so. Before she knew it, Gary was closing the door in a fast pace. Knowing that she had to react quickly, she stuck her foot out and bent her lower leg a bit to stop the door from shutting. Leaf looked at him slowly before finally remembering what she needed to tell Gary. "Gary, why did you do it?"_

_"Do what?" said Gary._

_"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Leaf muttered under her breath dangerously, now getting furious. She wrathfully looked at Gary through the crack. It was about a foot wide and Leaf was trying to use her feet to pry it open. Unfortunately, with Gary's hand forced upon the door, it won't budge a bit to Leaf's favor._

_Gary just gave her a strange look before saying, "If you don't tell me, how am I supposed to know? I'm not Psychic you know… nor do I have a telepathic ability." His voice expressed irritation and his expression didn't help much either._

_"Don't lie to me! You're the one who started those rumors about me dating Ash," Leaf snarled sharply._

_"I did not start those rumors nor did I have anything to do with them!" He stopped talking for a while. He deadpanned, "You, Leaf dating Ash? Now that's a joke."_

_"What are you implying?" Leaf raised her voice slightly. Her tone was flat and clear; she was not amused with Gary's sudden attitude._

_"I'm not implying anything. I'm merely stating that you really don't have to worry about the rumors because nobody will believe you two would date, since you guys will never get anyone to like you anyways."_

_"Why you little…" Leaf shrieked. She was bending her feet a bit more, trying to get inside and beat the crap out of Gary. She had no luck before, and she still has no luck now._

_Gary looked at her struggling to get the door open while he, with almost no effort, held it shut. "You know, Leaf; I never knew you had it in you. Initially, you burst into the lab without permission, and then you sneak into my room to do something I still am clueless to. And then, you accused me of doing something that I never did, unless I did it without remembering. But that's not the case since I have very good memory. And soon after that, you are trying to pester me and yell at me for doing something I didn't do. Lastly, so far, you are trying to get into my room and beat me up. What kind of friend are you?" Gary wheezed in mockery._

_Leaf was fuming mad, and Gary could tell because of the force and effort Leaf had on the door and try to budge it open. She really wanted to get in. "What has gotten into you, Gary?" Leaf managed to say, looking into his eyes._

_His expression was unreadable, but it wasn't normal. Gary turned his gaze away from Leaf and onto a nearby poster of the three starter Pokémon of Kanto. "Nothing. On the other hand, are you sure there's nothing wrong with you; I'm sure you need a something to cool you down, before you explode into smithereens and I lose my best friend. Do you want me to fetch you a pail of water? I mean, I wouldn't want you to self-destruct like an Electrode."_

_"NO! I do not need a pail of water. And for your information Oak, YOU are the cause of my problems and anger issues. You know what, you don't have to worry about losing your so-called best friend because you've already lost her," Leaf shouted hotly. Shooting Gary a glare, Leaf took her foot from the doorway with a bit of trouble before marching out the way she came from. She could hear the door slowly close behind her as she angrily strode out of the lab._

_A few days later…_

_Leaf opened the door without bothering to check who was out there. Gary stood outside the doorframe of her house, looking around the inside of her house observantly, making sure to look at everything around her except Leaf herself._

_"What do you want?" Leaf snapped._

_"Can't a friend come to a friend's house normally without being yelled at?"_

_Leaf smiled kindly. "Aw, I'm sorry. But isn't this how you've treated me when I came to your house?"_

_"Leaf, can you not be more original and not copy my actions? That's copyright you know."_

_"WHAT?" Leaf yelled in surprise. She gave Gary a furious look before saying, "And you still haven't answered my question yet. Stop avoiding it."_

_"What do I want? I want you to give me back what you stole!"_

_She looked at Gary, surprised at his outburst. "I didn't steal anything from you! Why would I anyways?"_

_"You're the last one who came to my house did you not? And if you didn't steal it who did? Besides, I don't know why you would steal it, ask yourself that. But if you ask me, because you don't know yourself, I guess it is revenge because I supposedly started spreading those rumors about you and Ash dating," he stated simply._

_Leaf opened her mouth in shock. "How dare you accuse me of stealing anything?"_

_"How dare you accuse me of stealing?" Gary mimicked. "So where is it? Stop playing around."_

_"Where is what?"_

_"You should know what you stole!"_

_"I didn't steal it! What kind of friend are you if you didn't trust me?"_

_"But I recalled you telling me that we weren't friends anymore..."_

_She bit her lip in fusteration before yelling out, "But I didn't steal anything!"_

_"STOP LYING!"_

_By now, they were nose to nose, staring crossly at one another, neither wanting to give up the fight. "Leaf, I'm not messing around anymore. Give it back!"_

_"But I don't have it!"_

_"Sure you don't," Gary commented sarcastically._

_Leaf sighed in exasperation. "You really don't believe me, do you?"_

_"Why should I believe you?"_

_"Because I'm supposedly your friend…" 'Until all this happened,' she continued in her head._

_"Just give it back, and I'll gladly leave. It's not like I enjoy standing here talking to you…"_

_She looked at him in disbelief. HE used to be HER friend… it doesn't feel like it anymore… at all. "If you don't enjoy talking to me, LEAVE! Gary, what is it I apparently 'stole' from you in the first place?"_

_Gary stepped a bit further away from Leaf before answering. "You should know, Leaf."_

_"I should, but I don't! I'm not responsible for anything you accuse me of!"_

_He glared at her. "Just give it back..."_

_"I don't have it! Don't you believe me?" she inquired sadly._

_He corrected her, "I used to trust you...'_

_"You know what Gary? I don't know you anymore. I don't know who you are anymore. I don't even want to know what you're becoming, but if you're going to act like this, then I don't think we should be friends anymore."_

_"Fine!" he answered quickly._

_"Fine!" Gary glanced at Leaf one last time before turning around and walking away from her house, with no intention on returning. She shut the door with the slam before realizing something. "What have I done?"_

_|| End of Flashback ||_

Leaf sighed before tugging the ends of her hair in a provoking method. It was all her fault; she dramatized. If she hadn't overreacted about the silliest things, then she never would've been in this situation in the first place. No wonder why Gary was so furious.

She then sat on her bed in silence for a few minutes, trying to refrain herself from going crazy. Taking a deep breath, she inhaled and exhaled sharply.

After a while, she decided that she couldn't quite come up with anything, and it'll be best if she just walked over there and come up with an apology along the way, or last minute. If she continued this any longer, without apologizing, she'll most likely get out of control. Jumping onto her feet, she dragged herself out of her room. Deciding it would be best to tell her mom where she was heading first. "Mom, I'm going to go to a friend's house. I'll be back later!"

She ventured down the stairs and heard a soft, "Alright." Smiling unsecurely, and inwardly nervous, she walked out of her house, making sure to lock the door.

_'There's nothing to lose,' _she told herself. _'I already lost any possible friendship between us.'_

She walked out of her front porch and walked towards Professor Oak's lab. With a weird sensation in her body, she couldn't help but feel as if she was on a suicidal march the closer she got to the professor's lab. In a few minutes, she would be at the lab awkwardly, under Gary's glaring and yelling. She imagined herself begging Gary for forgiveness and trying to apologize to him. Leaf shook her head furiously, pushing that horrible thought away. _'There's no way I'm going to do that. It sounds too desperate.'_

There she was… now in front of the lab. Her knuckles were now white and clenched tightly. She raised her hand near the door. Her eyes were slowly focused on her hands, as if daring them to move forth and knock. Finally deciding that she should get a move on, she sighed deeply to herself before moving her pale knuckles forward. About to bang on the door sharply, she felt the door slide inward before her fists made contact with it. The door swung open to reveal a guy around Leaf's age in a black shirt with brown hair.

"Gary…" She had intended on turning it into a question, but it came out as a statement. Her voice fading after she pronounced each letter, leaving 'y' was almost unheard. What surprised her was the fact that he opened the door before she knocked. Gary looks so different; he seems a bit different from our last argument—physically and mentally. He looked at the door knob he was still clutching on, not looking at her properly.

"Come in," he simply said. She walked in and he closed the door immediately. He then headed off in a random direction. Leaf quickly recognizes this as the hallway leading to Gary's room. She tried to momentary look at Gary's face and figure out what's going on herself, but she had no luck. His face was expressionless and a bit pale? It gave no clue or any hint as to what's going on. Leaf groaned inwardly to herself in frustration. 'Why can't he be simpler? Oh that's right, if he was, I would've caused this fight with him in the first place.'

Regaining herself, she stepped into Gary's room as he closed the door quickly immediately after she walked in. He looked at her quietly—with something weird with his expression—and told her to sit down somewhere. He had said those words so softly that Leaf barely heard them. She, making herself feel at home, sat down on his bed; she let her slippers slide from her feet and lifted them, crossing them together on the mattress. She looked at Gary who seemed to be worried and nervous about something. Waiting for him to begin the talking, because she certainly did not want to, Gary's face paled slightly. Usually, Gary Oak is never nervous, always keeping his cool. He was trying to, for sure he was, but he isn't succeeding.

He cleared his throat hesitantly, before beginning. "Leaf I—"

Leaf interrupted him quickly but quietly, "I—"

"Will you just listen?" he snapped. His expression softened a bit. "Sorry. But you're really making things harder than it actually is…"

She was about to retort, her mouth hanging wide open, but she didn't want to cause another fight and shut her mouth quickly.

"Look Leaf. The more I think about that fight we had five years ago, the more I'm starting to think how stupid I am to start it—"

"I was the one who started it, so—" Once again, she interrupted him, earning a glare from Gary. "Sorry," she added.

Gary started pacing back and forth in front of Leaf, from one side of his bedroom to the other. In quick slow steps, he concentrated his gaze on the ground. "Like I was saying before you decided barge into my speech, I feel really stupid about the fight. And I'm being even more stupid to be standing here after five years telling you how sorry I am for everything… can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me? I know I should've said something earlier, but I was scared. I was scared that things won't be the way they were; I tried going on with life without your friendship. As you can see, it isn't working out well and I'm finally apologizing to you after five years."

Leaf looked as Gary walked back and forth in a slower pace. She drew in a sharp breath before replying, "As much as I find this very touching, I cannot accept your forgiveness. I have a say in this too; it was all my fault. I want to be the one saying sorry—not you. I was being an idiot for starting a fight for something like that…"

"But Leaf, I can never forgive myself for all the things I said. I was… under pressure and confused. I didn't know what to do," Gary admitted ashamedly. "Besides, you may think that it was your fault, but it's all mine. All mine, Leaf."

Staring at Gary fondly, she smiled. "Well I think it'll be better if you explained what happened and what caused you to be so 'confused and under pressure'?"

"Where should I start?"

"Right at my ninth birthday," she stated swiftly.

He repeated, trying to rejog his memory. "Your ninth birthday… long story."

She tapped her fingers against her leg slowly, preparing for the story. "I have time."

Gary breathed heavily. "I knew you would say that; I just know you too well," he began, saying it mostly to himself. With an approving look from Leaf, he stopped walking and stared at the floor, making sure not to give her any eye contact. He then began his story.

"So it all started with me, going shopping to find you something for your birthday, a day before the party." She scowled at him, probably for thinking about her last minute. He ignored her interruption and continued on. "I was busy helping Grandpa with something for a week," he added hastily before continuing, trying to clear her anger. "Anyway, you remember Whitney—that girl who lives a few houses down? I bumped into her. She kept me occupied until I forgot to buy you a present and the door closed, kicking us both out. By then, I had no gift to give you and tomorrow, that store, would've closed anyways. I was mad, but I didn't let Whitney know. She said that it was too bad I didn't have anything to give you anymore. How can I go to your party like that? She made me feel guilty afterwards... saying how I forgot about you. Especially when it's my birthday, you arrive and always give me presents. Sometimes, you would randomly give me presents anyway." He paused for a while, chuckling to himself. "I was ashamed. I didn't want to go to your birthday party now, appearing on the doorsteps with nothing in hand. It was too late to get you anything, so I decided to stay home. Coincidently—but not so much after I think about it—she came to Grandpa's lab and spent her day with me. We had an okay time, but I was still guilty for not coming to your birthday party. After you confronted me the next day, I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to say I didn't get you a present because I know you would say that I didn't have to give you one and being there with you is enough—but it isn't. I didn't want to come empty handed; I didn't want to let you know I waited until last minute to get your present. I didn't want you to know that. I told you something I knew would make you go away. I didn't want to see you at the moment it only makes me feel guiltier for not coming and not getting you a present. I thought yelling at you would clear my troubles."

He stopped talking for a minute to think about what to say next. Leaf commented, "You were right; I would say you didn't need to get me anything. I just wanted you there… but unfortunately, you thought differently."

Continuing his speech, he ignored her. "Well, after I yelled at you, you arrived at my house about a week later, accusing me of spreading those rumors. Honestly, when you tackle me about that problem, I had no idea what you were talking about. The only reason why I yelled at you was because I was mad at Whitney that day. She came a couple minutes before you did, that's why I wasn't in my room—I was escorting her out. Anyways, you know me. I usually don't release my anger on the person who made me mad but on the next person who comes to see me. You just happened to come along, at a _great _time, and you just happened to get yelled at by me because I was mad at Whitney. After couple days, Whitney came to my house again. She 'accidently' confessed that she was the one who started those rumors after I asked her about it. Indeed, I did lose something that day. Whitney stole something of mine; I knew it but because of our argument a couple days before, I came to you to complain. For two reasons, actually. One of the things I wanted to complain to you about is your fault. I got two different things stolen from two different people. So I did the first thing I thought of, run to complain to you—just like it's always been. You go to me when you have something bothering you, and I do the same. But instead of talking to you about it like I should've, I yelled at you instead. I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you..."

Leaf briefly looked at Gary. "What did Whitney do? What did she steal? What got stolen?"

"Whitney did many things. She kept me company, sure that was nice but unpleasant. But she did something that made me angry. I only found out about her 'plans' after that fight with you. She tried to get replace you… tried to make me hate you so she could be my best friend. She did many things and blamed it on you... she tried ruining our friendship, and I was too blind to notice." Gary laughed to himself bitterly. "And do you want to know _why _she even attempted that?" He paused for a minute, waiting for Leaf's reply, but it never came. She was still shocked by the idea of Whitney doing something that. "She liked me; she was trying to get me to like her. However, she knew something that would get in the way. Or rather, someone. She didn't stand a chance, as she thought... she was right though. She wanted to win my affection, but every time she tried, all I ever talked about whenever we had a conversation was you. It was only you; I didn't realize it until she complained to me about it. Occasionally, it would be something random, but it'll always lead to _you. _Of course, I didn't realize any of that at the time. Whitney, naturally, got jealous. _She _made me miss your birthday party. _She _framed me of spreading those rumors. _She _made me realize I lost two things very important to me. I didn't talk to her ever since, but that didn't stop her from trying to get to me. Afterwards, she did return my book back, not that it was really important or anything. But what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry, Leaf."

Leaf, a bit worried, looked at Gary. She ignored his apology and was deep in thought. He had begun pacing again—still not making any eye contact with her—and took tried to calm his nerves down. He was probably very angry at Whitney. "You still haven't answered my question: What got stolen that was so important to you?"

Gary stopped pacing and looked at Leaf fully for the first time since she arrived. Their eyes met for a moment before he turned to look somewhere above Leaf, still seeing a bit of her, blurry though. "Do you _want _to know?"

She looked at Gary with a bit of hesitation. "Yes…"

He walked a bit closer to her. "Well obviously, you can guess the first one. Whitney made me lose our friendship. I don't think about it much before, but it means a lot." He forced a smile.

"And the second thing?" Leaf asked, wanting him to continue.

Hesitating, he frowned a bit. "'What is it?" she insisted. She stood up in front of him, taking a closer look at this expression. It showed nothing but troubled and guilt.

"You stole it from me. I've tried so many things during these past five years trying to get rid of this feeling of emptiness but it's not working. You stole it from me. I'm still mad at you for stealing it from me. I don't know why it had to be you though—my best friend. I didn't want it to go this way. I d—"

Leaf looked at him curiously as he started rambling. "You know what Gary? Stop that and just spit it out."

"You stole my heart… I didn't realize it, but you did," he said. "I've got it stolen and now I can't get it back. This is partly the reason I yelled at you for; I just didn't want to face the fact that I may be falling for my best friend…" Even as he said it himself, he did not want to accept the fact. Leaf was supposed to be his _friend_. However, there are several thing in life that you cannot control, and this was one of them.

It took her a while to register his words for her mind was not with her at the moment. She confusingly glanced at him for a moment before blurting out, "WHAT? Ga—" In a blink of an eye, he moved halfway across the room and she found herself staring at Gary, whom was only a few inches away from her.

Interrupted by a kiss from Gary, she nervously looked at his face that was so close to hers. Colors flying upward to her cheeks, she felt a pang of disappointment when Gary pulled away.

Speechless, neither of them could speak for a while. Eyes locked, they just breathlessly stared at one another. "Sorry…" he murmured again.

Silently gazing at him, she answered, "For what? For the fight or for the kiss? I guess I should be saying sorry to you too for everything that happened..."

"Both," he answered almost immediately. He ignored her apology though. Even so, she still felt better telling him this.

Leaf shook her head. "I'll forgive you easily first one knowing that it's not your fault, but the second one I cannot forgive you for the kiss…"

"And why is that?" he inquired with a hint of worry in his voice. His voice cracked in the middle of the sentence, sounding hoarse and dreadful. It sounded like he forced himself not to sound so weak and pathetic, but around Leaf, nothing ever went the way he wanted.

_'I need to remember to thank Ash later for helping me and Gary come to our senses, and apologize...'_

She smirked mischievously, looking up at him with her arms (which were now around his neck). "Because I enjoyed it."

* * *

_Bleh, looking back, I know I could've split this story into three different chapters, but being me, I didn't because I'm just a complicated person._

_Last order of business, PLEASE REVIEW! (;_

_Love,_

_Lily_


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